Wednesday, May 09, 2018 1:00 am

Commentary

Sony hoping to deliver with new 'Venom' film

David Betancourt | Washington Post

There is perhaps no bigger comic book-inspired cinematic enigma than Sony's “Venom” movie, which will arrive in theaters in October.

After a seemingly pointless teaser trailer release in February that had plenty of star Tom Hardy, but absolutely no Venom, the grumbling began as to whether Sony, which needed Marvel Studios to save Spider-Man on film, could be trusted to spin-off a new Marvel movie franchise by itself.

That first teaser likely served as a gentle reminder to the comic book movie faithful that yes, this movie is actually being made. For the first full trailer Sony was going to have to bring it with a Venom money shot.

And it delivered.

It took until the final moments, but there was Hardy, rising from the ground, in black, symbiotic ooze with all-white eyes, instantly going from prey to predator.

There he is. Venom. One of Spider-Man's most popular villains, brought to life by the '90s comic book artwork of artists such as Todd McFarlane, Erik Larson and Mark Bagley. The seconds worth of a glance we get, after he declares “We are Venom” in a ghoulishly dark voice, instantly pass the comic-book geek visual test.

Sony and “Venom” will have to overcome the stigma of being a Marvel movie without the guidance of Marvel Studios, something 20th Century Fox knows all too well. In “Deadpool,” which has a sequel dropping this month, Fox struck gold with a raunchy, R-rated hit that stayed true to its comic book roots while also taking the superhero movie to a place that it hadn't been before, stylistically. But Fox's “X-Men” franchise, with 2014's “Days of Future Past” and 2016's “Apocalypse” as recent outings, feels like it's on its last leg and could use a Marvel Studios infusion.

“Venom” has two options. It can go the “Deadpool” route, creating something that feels new with a highly fan-recognizable comic book property. Or the movie could come off like those Andrew Garfield “Amazing Spider-Man” movies: good, not great, and seemingly made just to hold on to a character's movie rights.

A good villain could make the difference in this film. There's a whole lot of symbiotes (the elements that make up the black alien goo that turns Brock into Venom) in this movie. So Hardy might not be the only person wearing a symbiotic suit that turns him into a super-strong monster. If Carnage (think a red and black and even more lethal version of Venom) is the antagonist of “Venom,” as rumored, that could provide the visuals that could get fans lighting up social media with the type of buzz this movie needs to be successful.

“Venom” has a chance to give Sony some much needed independence from Marvel Studios. With the rights to so many Spider-Man-universe characters, Sony could prove it's still got a little comic book magic left. Or this could be the movie that leads fans to demand Marvel Studios take over everything Marvel related on film.